Roosevelt
Adrianna Ewart
Who was he?
Theodore Roosevelt was president at the age of 42 and was a Social Darwinist. He wanted the US to compete with all the other countries to survive. However, he was progressive in the fact that he wanted the government to even out Americans' businesses. He created the square deal so that every man will have no more or no less than another.
Trusts
Roosevelt wanted everyone to strive and be just as successful as the next, enough so that it would still give the US economy prosperity. This would progressively move the economy forward. He fought J. P. Morgan claiming the monopoly would raise prices for farmers and then to everyone else in the country, hurting the economy. Roosevelt won the case due to the ruling that it was a violation to the Sherman Antitrust Act.
The Coal Strike
In 1902 roughly 150,000 coal miners of Pennsylvania walked out of their job in demand of better pay, less hours, and union recognition. As coal prices rose Roosevelt saw the problem and decided to enforce arbitration, or an settlement by an outside party. Minors began to refuse so they were threatened with the army causing them to give in and treat their workers better in agreement for them to return to work. The government had to step in to improve the economy once more and progress on.
Regulation
Inspections were put into play so that the public would know how workers were being treated and to ensure it was well. The Hepburn Act was created to give the ICC power to set railroad rates to keep unfair prices from being set by the railroad company itself. After the public read article by Samuel Hopkins Adams people became concerned for their health due to the medications and food they were being given, not knowing what was in them. Especially after the novel Upton Sinclair published called The Jungle on the meat factories. The meat inspection act and the pure food and drug act were passed to show what exactly is in products. People wanted a change and wanted to know they were safe.